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Fundraisers take on exceptional challenges to show support for British Paralympic Association

on 11-06-2014 10:36

This month the British Paralympic Association (BPA) has seen two particularly ambitious fundraisers go to extraordinary lengths to raise vital funds which will help ensure that the ParalympicsGB team for Rio and future Games is the best-prepared team possible.

Lucas Meagor is cycling 3000 miles across the country on a tour of gold post boxes to raise money for the BPA, while Michael Pugh is travelling over 2000km across Eastern Europe on horseback.

Meagor, who describes himself as an Olympic and Paralympic “geek”, is undertaking a 3000 mile, 27 day trip to visit all 111 Gold Post Boxes from London 2012. Lucas, along with this friend, Chris Britton, is supporting three charities: The BPA, Tree of Hope and Sport Relief.

In celebration of each of Team GB and ParalympicsGB’s gold medals at London, Royal Mail painted one of their traditional red post boxes gold. These post boxes could be in the location of each athlete’s choosing, and this means that the post boxes can be found the full length and breadth of the country.

The epic journey, which started at Helen Glover’s post box in Penzance on Saturday May 31, is set to conclude on Thursday June 26 at Luke Campbell’s post box in Hull.

Lucas chose to lend his support to the BPA after he was inspired during the London 2012 Games and felt pride in the success of the country’s Paralympians. He recently attended ParalympicsGB Sports Fest in Manchester where he received encouragement from Dame Sarah Storey and Kelly Gallagher.

And if Meagor’s cross-country cycle was not enough adventurous activity for one month, a second fundraiser has undertaken a spectacular journey to raise funds, this time across Europe on horseback.

Michael Pugh, who has worked for BPA Partner Hogan Lovells in both their Moscow and London offices, decided to undertake an unusual route back to the UK after his latest trip to Russia. Over the course of three months, Michael will travel an incredible 2200 km on horseback and will pass through Western Russia, Belarus, Western Ukraine, and Bucovina and Transylvania in Romania.

" I was moved more than I can say by the incredible highs achieved by the Paralympic athletes." Michael Pugh

Explaining his desire to fundraise for the BPA, Michael said: “I was lucky enough to be a guest of the BPA at the Paralympic Games in Sochi this year. I was moved more than I can say by the incredible highs achieved by the Paralympic athletes. It was after this visit that I decided to use my ride to raise funds for the BPA and the Paralympic associations of the countries I will ride through.”

We would like to take the opportunity to thank Lucas, Michael and all our fantastic fundraisers for their efforts and their support, and to wish them luck as they continue their journeys.

The British Paralympic Association (BPA) is a registered charity, and we rely heavily on the support of fundraising to achieve our charitable objectives and to help ensure that we can send the best-prepared team of athletes to compete at the Paralympic Games, the very pinnacle of elite disability sport. We are incredibly grateful to our fundraisers for everything they do to raise money for us.

If you’d like to support our Paralympians, there are lots of ways you can help. If you are feeling active, you might like to sign up for a sporting challenge like the Deloitte Ride Across Britain or take on a half marathon and ask friends and family to sponsor you. Alternatively you might like to organise a cake sale at your school or workplace to show your support. Whatever you’d like to do, we’re here to support you, so get in touch!

To find out more about how important your support is and the range of fundraising events that you can get involved in, visit the fundraising page on our website. Alternatively, send an email to fundraising@paralympics.org.uk and we’ll help you to get started.

The route for the Gold Post Box Challenge can be tracked online and supporters can follow the journey at www.lucaskeepsrunning.co.uk and also via Twitter @lucaskeepsrun. Donations can be received here or by texting PARA83 £(amount) to 70070

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